Your dog’s ears and how to protect them from common health issues.

A dog’s ears are one of the most sensitive and expressive parts of their body.

By the way they are held, you can determine their mood. By the attention paid to them, you can often figure out if they have health problems such as an infection, bites or allergies.

Make it part of your routine to give your dog a daily ear massage. Not only will they love it, but it will give you a chance to do a quick inspection and ensure that everything is as it should be. At least once a week, clean the ears using an ear cleaner recommended by your veterinarian.

The American Humane Society suggests you use a piece of gauze with the ear-cleaning solution or a baby wipe wrapped around your finger or even a cotton ball. They caution against Q-tips for risk of the dog turning or moving quickly resulting in damage to their ear canal.

When you see your dog scratching his ears a lot, it is obvious there is a problem, but that is not the only indication. For example, your dog’s ears should smell nice and if they don’t, that is not normal.

If he normally welcomes your ear massage but suddenly is sensitive and pulls away, he may be in pain. If he is constantly shifting his head to one side and shaking it, he is trying to rid himself of some kind of feeling in his ears.

If the ear flap or canal are red, itchy or swelling, there is some kind of ear disease in progress. Watch as well for a buildup of dark brown wax. That is not normal.

If his behavior changes and he is more lifeless and seems depressed, he may also be struggling with an ear infection.

You will find that some breeds of dogs are more susceptible to ear infections than others and dogs with allergies are much more prone to ear infections.

When you dog has been diagnosed with an ear infection, you will need to administer regular doses of antibiotics. Clean the ear first and then pull his ear flap back towards his head, drop in the required dosage to the lower part of the ear canal, and then finish it off with a gentle ear massage to help the medication move deeper into the ear.